Chapter 2 - Benelli Run
“How is she?” Rann asked, walking into the ship’s lounge and flopping onto a couch.
“She’s sleeping, but she’ll be okay,” Sia-Lann said. “How’s Toba?”
“He managed to coax that ancient astrogate computer into getting us pointing in the right direction. Where did she say?”
“Benelli system,” Sia-Lann said then shrugged at his unspoken question.
They sat in silence for a time, listening to the strange clanks and hums from the ship.
“It’s cold,” Sia-Lann said, pulling her robe tighter around her.
“Droids shot out the environmental controls.” Rann smirked. “Toba managed to get most of it working. He’s on it now.”
“I wish I knew who those…”
“Yea.”
Sia-Lann looked at her companion. He’d been like a brother to her for almost ten years.
“I feel him close to us,” Sia-Lann said. “Do you think there’s a chance...”
“We saw him, Sia-Lann,” Rann said. His face darkened, suddenly, and he looked away. “Weu-Lun is dead.”
“Those...Jedi and the soldiers back on Naboo, they weren’t part of the invasion,” she said, looking at her Rann fiercely. “They could have stunned him. Taken him in the confusion.”
“We’ll never know, okay!” Rann blurted, standing quickly. “We’ll definitely never find him ourselves. Those guys were professionals. You think anyone could escape that explosion? HE..IS..DEAD!”
The young Jedi fled toward the back of the ship. Sia-Lann watched the space where he’d been for a long time.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The ship dropped out of hyperspace, coasting to a cruising speed. Tight-lipped and still pale, Arani fired up her data pad. Toba hung his head, tapping out control information on a dusty keyboard.
“Benelli system,” she said to no one in particular.
“Can you get a load from here?” Rann asked from the jump seat behind her.
“If your Force is with us,” she muttered. “I have a buddy down there. Let’s see if he remembers me.”
A holo image of the Benelli Communications Company logo appeared.
“Please hold while we contact your party,” a man’s pleasant voice said. “Benelli Communications thanks you for your patience.”
Strange, tinny music filled the cockpit.
“He’s hard to get hold of sometimes.”
“Hopin’ he can find parts for da weapons,” Toba said quietly.
“Yea, if you hadn’t...”
“Arani!” a deep guttural voice said. “Where have you been?”
The BCC logo still floated on the holo-projector.
“Thune,” Arani said. “I’ve been around. Look: I need a run, maybe out to Mijji’s Point or someplace close by there. Need to make some quick cash. You got anything?”
“You are in-system?” Thune said. His furry Bothan face appeared in a wavering hologram.
“Askin’ him about the...”
Arani glared the Gungan to silence.
“We set down in about an hour,” she said. “You have a line on a cheap port and landing clearance?”
“Arani, Arani,” the Bothan sighed. “I don’t see you in, what, two standard? And the first thing out of your mouth is an insult?”
“Thanks, Thune. You were always a stand-up guy,” she smiled.
“I’ll transmit the codes.” His canine grin glimmered.
“See you in a bit.” The pilot sat back with a groan of relief.
“Old friend?” Sia-Lann asked, stepping into the cockpit.
“Thune Markle is one of the best...ah...shipping agents I’ve ever worked with,” Arani said. “When he was freelance, he got me my first few runs. Helped me secure a down payment on this tub. He’s been dedicated to the cartels on Benelli Prime for a while, though.”
“He seems...eager,” Sia-Lann said, taking the second jump seat.
“He takes a 50% cut,” Arani said, looking over her shoulder. “He’s a friend. Not family.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The immaculately dressed Bothan stood at the gangway as the group disembarked. He turned to greet them, and Sia-Lann saw that half his face was disfigured, seemingly by fire. More likely a dissatisfied customer, she thought.
“My dear,” Thune said, his arms held out. “You only grow more beautiful.”
“Cut the sales pitch,” Arani said, though she barely kept a smile from her face. “You got any place to get a drink around here?”
“Of course, of course,” Thune said. “But first.” He turned to the others. “I am Viscount Thune Alyafesh du’Markle, at your service. If there is anything, anything at all, that you need, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am your humble host for your stay here, and all of my resources are at your disposal.”
“Can you be gettin’ parts for da ship?” Toba asked, stepping back and crossing his arms as the Bothan approached in what looked like an impending hug.
“Arani!” Thune said, feigning surprise. “You have damaged the illustrious Polestar?”
“A little trouble leaving Naboo,” she said, dragging a plastic shipping crate down the gangway. “Perhaps you’ve heard?”
“I have heard some rumblings out there on the Rim,” he said, turning to the Jedi. “Pleased to make your acquaintances, young Padawans.”
“The pleasure is mine, sir,” Sia-Lann said, bowing reflexively.
“My dear,” the Bothan said to Arani. “You have taken up with the most polite denizens of the Galaxy.” Then, to the two Jedi, “It is refreshing compared to her past companions.”
“Rann-I Kanu,” the other said, holding out his hand. “We ran into some trouble with the Trade Federation. We need a comm system strong enough to reach Coruscant.”
“Ah, they were always trigger happy, those Nemodians,” Thune said, taking Rann’s hand in a double-handed shake. “I heard about the blockade. Of course, we shall find you what you need.”
He glanced at the serrated and blackened scars across most of the Polestar’s
superstructure as he turned and gestured to the travel weary group. Rann and Sia-Lann hefted storage containers and followed.
“Toba,” Arani said quietly.
The Gungan walked back toward her, grinning.
She stuck a finger in his face. “You owe me, you got it?”
Toba’s face fell.
“That stunt with the hyperdrive cost me a week,” she continued. “If you co- for me, you watch the darn scope and let me know when I’m about to run into a blazing starship, you understand?”
“Doin’ better, next time,” Toba said.
“There may not be a next time, if you don’t come up with some cash to pay for this.” She gestured over her shoulder to her damaged ship. “This is the real world, Gungan. You’re not in the swamp anymore.”
“Sorry. I fix most everything. Your weapon system bein’...old.”
“You got a knack with tools, I’ll give you that. And you were pretty handy in that firefight,” she said, turning her back to slide a crate onto a droid dolly. “If you can help me make up the difference on the lost time and the repairs, I figure we can go in half. But, I can’t afford mistakes like this.”
“We bein’ partners!?” Toba exclaimed. “Oh boyo! Toba Fi a starship captain?”
“I’m captain,” Arani said, her mood obviously lightened. “You’re first mate and ship engineer, get it? Now, help me with these crates.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
“How is she?” Rann asked, walking into the ship’s lounge and flopping onto a couch.
“She’s sleeping, but she’ll be okay,” Sia-Lann said. “How’s Toba?”
“He managed to coax that ancient astrogate computer into getting us pointing in the right direction. Where did she say?”
“Benelli system,” Sia-Lann said then shrugged at his unspoken question.
They sat in silence for a time, listening to the strange clanks and hums from the ship.
“It’s cold,” Sia-Lann said, pulling her robe tighter around her.
“Droids shot out the environmental controls.” Rann smirked. “Toba managed to get most of it working. He’s on it now.”
“I wish I knew who those…”
“Yea.”
Sia-Lann looked at her companion. He’d been like a brother to her for almost ten years.
“I feel him close to us,” Sia-Lann said. “Do you think there’s a chance...”
“We saw him, Sia-Lann,” Rann said. His face darkened, suddenly, and he looked away. “Weu-Lun is dead.”
“Those...Jedi and the soldiers back on Naboo, they weren’t part of the invasion,” she said, looking at her Rann fiercely. “They could have stunned him. Taken him in the confusion.”
“We’ll never know, okay!” Rann blurted, standing quickly. “We’ll definitely never find him ourselves. Those guys were professionals. You think anyone could escape that explosion? HE..IS..DEAD!”
The young Jedi fled toward the back of the ship. Sia-Lann watched the space where he’d been for a long time.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The ship dropped out of hyperspace, coasting to a cruising speed. Tight-lipped and still pale, Arani fired up her data pad. Toba hung his head, tapping out control information on a dusty keyboard.
“Benelli system,” she said to no one in particular.
“Can you get a load from here?” Rann asked from the jump seat behind her.
“If your Force is with us,” she muttered. “I have a buddy down there. Let’s see if he remembers me.”
A holo image of the Benelli Communications Company logo appeared.
“Please hold while we contact your party,” a man’s pleasant voice said. “Benelli Communications thanks you for your patience.”
Strange, tinny music filled the cockpit.
“He’s hard to get hold of sometimes.”
“Hopin’ he can find parts for da weapons,” Toba said quietly.
“Yea, if you hadn’t...”
“Arani!” a deep guttural voice said. “Where have you been?”
The BCC logo still floated on the holo-projector.
“Thune,” Arani said. “I’ve been around. Look: I need a run, maybe out to Mijji’s Point or someplace close by there. Need to make some quick cash. You got anything?”
“You are in-system?” Thune said. His furry Bothan face appeared in a wavering hologram.
“Askin’ him about the...”
Arani glared the Gungan to silence.
“We set down in about an hour,” she said. “You have a line on a cheap port and landing clearance?”
“Arani, Arani,” the Bothan sighed. “I don’t see you in, what, two standard? And the first thing out of your mouth is an insult?”
“Thanks, Thune. You were always a stand-up guy,” she smiled.
“I’ll transmit the codes.” His canine grin glimmered.
“See you in a bit.” The pilot sat back with a groan of relief.
“Old friend?” Sia-Lann asked, stepping into the cockpit.
“Thune Markle is one of the best...ah...shipping agents I’ve ever worked with,” Arani said. “When he was freelance, he got me my first few runs. Helped me secure a down payment on this tub. He’s been dedicated to the cartels on Benelli Prime for a while, though.”
“He seems...eager,” Sia-Lann said, taking the second jump seat.
“He takes a 50% cut,” Arani said, looking over her shoulder. “He’s a friend. Not family.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The immaculately dressed Bothan stood at the gangway as the group disembarked. He turned to greet them, and Sia-Lann saw that half his face was disfigured, seemingly by fire. More likely a dissatisfied customer, she thought.
“My dear,” Thune said, his arms held out. “You only grow more beautiful.”
“Cut the sales pitch,” Arani said, though she barely kept a smile from her face. “You got any place to get a drink around here?”
“Of course, of course,” Thune said. “But first.” He turned to the others. “I am Viscount Thune Alyafesh du’Markle, at your service. If there is anything, anything at all, that you need, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am your humble host for your stay here, and all of my resources are at your disposal.”
“Can you be gettin’ parts for da ship?” Toba asked, stepping back and crossing his arms as the Bothan approached in what looked like an impending hug.
“Arani!” Thune said, feigning surprise. “You have damaged the illustrious Polestar?”
“A little trouble leaving Naboo,” she said, dragging a plastic shipping crate down the gangway. “Perhaps you’ve heard?”
“I have heard some rumblings out there on the Rim,” he said, turning to the Jedi. “Pleased to make your acquaintances, young Padawans.”
“The pleasure is mine, sir,” Sia-Lann said, bowing reflexively.
“My dear,” the Bothan said to Arani. “You have taken up with the most polite denizens of the Galaxy.” Then, to the two Jedi, “It is refreshing compared to her past companions.”
“Rann-I Kanu,” the other said, holding out his hand. “We ran into some trouble with the Trade Federation. We need a comm system strong enough to reach Coruscant.”
“Ah, they were always trigger happy, those Nemodians,” Thune said, taking Rann’s hand in a double-handed shake. “I heard about the blockade. Of course, we shall find you what you need.”
He glanced at the serrated and blackened scars across most of the Polestar’s
superstructure as he turned and gestured to the travel weary group. Rann and Sia-Lann hefted storage containers and followed.
“Toba,” Arani said quietly.
The Gungan walked back toward her, grinning.
She stuck a finger in his face. “You owe me, you got it?”
Toba’s face fell.
“That stunt with the hyperdrive cost me a week,” she continued. “If you co- for me, you watch the darn scope and let me know when I’m about to run into a blazing starship, you understand?”
“Doin’ better, next time,” Toba said.
“There may not be a next time, if you don’t come up with some cash to pay for this.” She gestured over her shoulder to her damaged ship. “This is the real world, Gungan. You’re not in the swamp anymore.”
“Sorry. I fix most everything. Your weapon system bein’...old.”
“You got a knack with tools, I’ll give you that. And you were pretty handy in that firefight,” she said, turning her back to slide a crate onto a droid dolly. “If you can help me make up the difference on the lost time and the repairs, I figure we can go in half. But, I can’t afford mistakes like this.”
“We bein’ partners!?” Toba exclaimed. “Oh boyo! Toba Fi a starship captain?”
“I’m captain,” Arani said, her mood obviously lightened. “You’re first mate and ship engineer, get it? Now, help me with these crates.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
, I have to admit a certain... fondness... for the one in this story 
.
